From 42-Point Loss to Heartbreak: Hawks Show Resilience in Defeat to Adelaide
The Illawarra Hawks faced a tough 90-88 defeat against the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday afternoon, marking a narrow heartbreak after a challenging game. Despite coming off their equal-lowest score in franchise history, Illawarra displayed remarkable performance in this NBL26 matchup.
Hickey's Near Triple-Double and Missed Opportunity
Will "Davo" Hickey led the Hawks with 20 points, supported by nine rebounds, eight assists, and four blocked shots. He narrowly missed achieving a triple-double, falling one rebound and two assists short. With just 1.6 seconds remaining, Hickey had two free throws that could have tied the game but missed both.
Team Resilience After a Rough Start
Before the game, Illawarra had not won in Adelaide for four years. The team bounced back strongly only 48 hours after a heavy 102-60 loss to the New Zealand Breakers in Wollongong.
“I tip my hat off to my team for coming back and having so much resilience and fighting them today. They gave a great effort on both ends of the floor, just a little bit unlucky,” said Illawarra head coach Justin Tatum.
Tatum expressed optimism, stating that with a full and healthy roster, this level of play could help them beat any team moving forward.
Summary
Despite a narrow loss, the Hawks demonstrated impressive resilience and near-historic individual performance, offering hope for future games.